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Decoded Leather Case with Camera Protection - TARIFFS DO NOT BUY

B

batman75

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 15, 2010
806
214
DO NOT BUY THIS CASE - THE VENDOR DOES NOT PAY TARIFFS WHICH MEANS YOU WILL BE STUCK WITH A TARIFF BILL AND A FEDEX HANDLING FEE WHICH WILL RESULT IN AN ADDITIONAL BILL OF $60 ON TOP OF THE PRICE OF THE CASE. IT IS NOT WORTH $120.

Original Review:

I purchased the decoded camera case for the 17 Pro despite Apple’s recommendation to leave the camera uncovered.

The case is excellent and I have noticed zero effect on signal strength. I get the same bars whether the case is on or off. 5G, 5GUWB, Bluetooth, WiFi and RFID also all work great.

Great case. Feels quite protective, but the leather is supple Ecco leather with a luxurious feel in the hand. The interior has a slightly cushioned microfiber lining. The camera bump is supposedly aluminum but it is coated in a color contrasting finish.

This is the navy case which is a very dark blue. Complements the phone well.


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batman75 said:
I purchased the decoded camera case for the 17 Pro despite Apple’s recommendation to leave the camera uncovered.

The case is excellent and I have noticed zero effect on signal strength. I get the same bars whether the case is on or off. 5G, 5GUWB, Bluetooth, WiFi and RFID also all work great.

Great case. Feels quite protective, but the leather is supple Ecco leather with a luxurious feel in the hand. The interior has a slightly cushioned microfiber lining. The camera bump is supposedly aluminum but it is coated in a color contrasting finish.

This is the navy case which is a very dark blue. Complements the phone well.


View attachment 2554703View attachment 2554704View attachment 2554705View attachment 2554709View attachment 2554710
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I really like how this looks but I haven’t bought from Decoded since my 13 Pro.

Anybody with more recent experience able to comment on quality as far as aging/patina goes?
 
Knowlege Bomb said:
I really like how this looks but I haven’t bought from Decoded since my 13 Pro.

Anybody with more recent experience able to comment on quality as far as aging/patina goes?
Click to expand...
Obviously I have no experience with that. But I can say these cases are so dark to start with, that color change is not a big issue. They use Ecco leather similar to the Nomad Modern Leather case. Those cases do Patina, but they don't turn black like the Horween cases. An example of Ecco leather patina is on this thread.

https://www.reddit.com/r/patinaproud/comments/180q0tx/nomad_english_tan

My main concern is scratches. You can see in the first photo above that my case is already scratched in one day. I think this is characteristic of Ecco leather.

I would prefer if they used the same pebbled leather as the Grams28 case. But I prefer this design. The only other case I would cross shop is the Sandmarc case.
 
I’ve had both Nomad and Decoded cases in the past. I generally like the feel of the Nomad leather better than the Decoded. To me, the Decoded feels almost like fake leather. I get dark cases, so can’t comment on the patina. I absolutely hate the branding on the current case. Last years case for the 16 pro only had small branding around the camera ring, but adding it in big letters on the back of the case is a hard no for me. I did buy the case last year and found it to be a pretty good case.

All leather cases will scratch.

This year I went with the Nomad Traditional case in black Horween leather.
 
F308gt4 said:
I’ve had both Nomad and Decoded cases in the past. I generally like the feel of the Nomad leather better than the Decoded. To me, the Decoded feels almost like fake leather. I get dark cases, so can’t comment on the patina. I absolutely hate the branding on the current case. Last years case for the 16 pro only had small branding around the camera ring, but adding it in big letters on the back of the case is a hard no for me. I did buy the case last year and found it to be a pretty good case. I just don't like the aesthetics of that large open window on the back of a case. It just looks unfinished.

All leather cases will scratch.

This year I went with the Nomad Traditional case in black Horween leather.
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Nomad and Decoded use the same leather (at least when comparing the Nomad Modern case to Decoded).

The feel of the leather on the case I bought is excellent. Doesn't feel fake at all.

You bought Horween leather. That would definitely feel even better, but the downside is you either have to buy it in black, or whatever you buy will be black in 6 months. I wanted a blue case so Horween is not an option. Plus Nomad has no camera bar protection so it's useless to me.
 
batman75 said:
Which color did you get?
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Same as you. I’ve always loved the deep blue leather look.

I had the Ocean Bullstrap on my 15PM and it darkened quite a bit but the greenish color was always visible. I think a dark blue case with some good patina will look amazing with my blue Pro.
 
I’ve used Decoded cases for like 5 years on iPhone and use the iPad slim folio.
Not sure about the plateau cover yet. The look, aluminum?
 
I was thinking about this case but not sure. Is the plateau cover lined? Or is it hard against the aluminum back?
 
drew0020 said:
I was thinking about this case but not sure. Is the plateau cover lined? Or is it hard against the aluminum back?
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That is a good point. The plateau cover is not lined. It is silky smooth though. I would have liked if it was lined. I don't think it an issue for now, but if sand got in there it could be a problem. I still prefer the setup over the open setup though.

I wonder if the sandmarc case is lined in that area? - I just checked. It is not.
 
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Knowlege Bomb said:
Same as you. I’ve always loved the deep blue leather look.

I had the Ocean Bullstrap on my 15PM and it darkened quite a bit but the greenish color was always visible. I think a dark blue case with some good patina will look amazing with my blue Pro.
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Did you get your Decoded case yet?

I accidentally dropped it on concrete. Now the aluminum camera protector is roughly scratched. It did protect the phone though so the phone is still pristine. And the leather still looks good.
 
It was supposed to come today. It made it from the Netherlands to Iowa in three days and has been sitting there since.

Tracking shifted from 9:00a to 1:10p and now just says “end of day” but it’s getting pretty late and tracking hasn’t updated from Cedar Rapids so I’m not getting my hopes up.

Sorry to hear about yours. Have you taken photos? I’d be interested in seeing how it handled the drop.
 
@Knowlege Bomb Did you get your case?

I am a bit disappointed with how mine is wearing. The leather is fine, but the aluminum screen protector's paint is wearing off on the lower edge where it sits on the table. Doesn't seem to be well coated.

I just ordered the Sandmarc case since that has a metal colored camera protector so is less likely to have issues. Also has no logo which is a plus.
 
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batman75 said:
@Knowlege Bomb Did you get your case?

I am a bit disappointed with how mine is wearing. The leather is fine, but the aluminum screen protector's paint is wearing off on the lower edge where it sits on the table. Doesn't seem to be well coated.

I just ordered the Sandmarc case since that has a metal colored camera protector so is less likely to have issues. Also has no logo which is a plus.
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Disappointing. Used for iPhone twice and iPad. Seemingly quit making iPad leather folio too.
 
Warning for those who ordered. FedEx is going to send you a tariff bill that will nearly be the cost of the case.
 
Why can't you tell them to return the case?

I noticed they added a disclaimer about the buyer being responsible for customs charges. I don't recall that being there when I purchased my case. Did anyone else see it? I would not have bought the case if it was 2X the price.

Screenshot 2025-10-16 at 9.26.55 AM.png
 
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Complex757 said:
Warning for those who ordered. FedEx is going to send you a tariff bill that will nearly be the cost of the case.
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Did you try asking Fedex to return the case to the sender? i.e. rescind your acceptance because they didnt communicate the tariffs prior to delivery?
 
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